September 27
Focus on the Now, Instead of the How
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Don’t think about the how, focus on the NOW.
You have probably heard me say this a time or ten…
Why is this one my favorite sayings?
All too often we are overwhelmed by the projects, the tasks, the errands, the to-do’s, and the change we want to make within ourselves because we are thinking about the how.
How many times have you thought about what you are working on and are five steps ahead of yourself? Or belabored the idea of where you will be and what you should be doing next week – or at the next meeting – outing – or next month with little thought of what’s the next step?
We get WAYYYYY ahead of ourselves and this stops us dead in our tracks from taking action.
This is why we don’t start or why we stop in the midst of doing the work.
In our mind, we need the details, the who, where, what, HOW, before we have taken one step forward.
I admit..I am guilty of this. I have an idea and then I think about all the what ifs, the work required to make it happen, the learning curve and time involved, and then become paralyzed because I don’t know HOW I am going to do it.
This kills more dreams than FAILURE… Think about this for a minute.
What if you allowed yourself to visualize what you want (the end result) and then decide and commit to taking one step at a time?
Where you only focus on the step directly in front of you..
Not ten steps ahead, just the very next one.
So how do you do this?
#1: Identify the result you want.
Be specific here. Not the details leading up to the result (that’s the how). The results – what are they? Are they quantifiable? What will you feel when you have the result? Live example here. The result I want is to complete the 75 hard program in its entirety by December 22nd. Why? The discipline and mental toughness that I exude during this program is mind blowing. All areas of my life are better when I am better and I thrive when I am structured. It’s that simple. When I start thinking about how I am going to do the SEMA show in Vegas and survive the holidays, I go into paralysis mode. I have decided and committed and I am going to take one day at a time.
#2: Visualize having it now.
What I mean by visualizing the result now is imagining that you have completed xyz. You lost the weight. You showed up and trained at the gym for 90 days. You created a course. Started journaling. Read 5 books. Cut out sugar from your nutrition protocol. No matter the breadth and nature of the result, I want you to imagine that you completed what you set out to accomplish and notice what that feeling is. Tap into it. Now go create it NOW. That feeling – the feeling of proud, accomplishment, the f#$k yeah feeling, whatever it is. It’s available to you now. This is what is going to help you continue to take every step. Motivation is finite and will fizzle out. The brain cannot discern what is real and what is imagined. Create the mental environment and go get it done.
#3: Look at your calendar and remove what isn’t aligned with your core values and your results.
Carve out time – even if it’s 10 minutes a day. This builds discipline and confidence. Say no, so that you can say yes to what you want to be doing and how you want to feel when doing that thing you are doing. Stop filling your calendar with mindless chores, errands, activity, and start filling it with meaningful and deliberate action. This is something I dive into with my clients through a specific system in my 90-day program.
#4: Follow-through requires brave and bold action.
Knowing that whatever you are doing will require action. Remember it’s only one step at a time. When you focus on the now, the present moment, you are in your power. This is when we are focused, connected, and tapped into the flow. You aren’t worrying about what happened before or what’s up next.
When you focus on the now and stop worrying about all of the what ifs, you can access your intuition and your creativity. This is an incredible source of information, wisdom, and gifts that you can share with yourself and with others.
Worrying about what lies ahead will lead to paralysis and the need to control the process and the outcome. This robs us of being open to the opportunities that are in our purview and are unable to see them because we are so focused on knowing (and being in control) every single step of the journey.
Miracles and glimmers are available to us every day. Choose to be in the now and revel in it (at least for a few moments until the next step reveals itself).
Let’s start focusing on the now and stop worrying about how resulting in being present, connected, and ready to move forward on this amazing journey of life.